Firefighters Aim to Keep Local Schoolchildren Warm This Winter

By Christina Georgiou

Winter may still seem like a long way off, but city firefighters are looking ahead and working to help keep as many local schoolchildren warm when the weather turns cold.

The "Easton Firefighters Coats for Kids" campaign hopes to provide brand new, American-made winter coats to students that participate in the free/reduced lunch programs at Paxinosa, Cheston, and March elementary schools in the city.

"We're trying to show the kids that they're worth something new," said campaign organizer and Easton firefighter James Corcoran. "We'd like to give them a self-esteem boost as well as make sure they're warm this winter."

The effort will also help recipients' families too, allowing the children's parents to allocate the money to other necessary expenses, he said.

The three schools were chosen out of the total of six Easton Area School District elementary schools because of the high number of students at each whose families are low-income, Corcoran said.

At Paxinosa Elementary School, 73 percent of the students are eligible for the free/reduced lunch program, while at Cheston and March, the numbers are 67 and 41 percent respectively. According to online statistics, 22 percent of all children in Easton live in poverty.

The firefighters' union, IAFF Local 713, which is sponsoring the campaign, has donated $1,000 to the cause, which will pay for the first 31 of the coats.

And, some local businesses are already helping out, Corcoran said.

Most notably, Two Rivers Brewing Company, which is directly across the street from the Downtown Easton fire station, will be holding a special happy hour event from 4 to 7 p.m. every Thursday in August, and 10 percent of all receipts at that time will be donated to the cause.

Click on this image for a full size view.

Fire station tours held from 5:30 to 7 p.m., along with a 50/50 raffle, may also draw more people to the five Thursday evening events too, organizers hope.

Other local businesses have been giving items to the charity drive's organizers that will be raffled between now and Oct. 16, the deadline for donations, Corcoran said. Again, all the money raised through the fundraisers will go directly towards the purchase of as many winter coats as possible.

"But, so far, it's been pretty slow," he said of the rate of donations, adding that while the firefighters hope to be able to provide a new coat to every kid in need, it may be that they will have to select specific classes at the three selected schools instead, and bypass providing coats to others.

Corcoran said he ultimately doesn't know how many children will be recipients of the drive, especially since it's the first year the union has held this sort of charity drive, and is being run through the national "Operation Warm" program.

"The original idea was to give every kid on the free- and reduced-lunch program a free coat, but we have to work with what we get," he said.

Corcoran is hopeful that once word of the coat drive gets out and the heat of summer begins to wane, more individuals will donate to the cause.

Donors aren't required pay for an entire coat, he said--any amount is welcome and will go directly towards buying the cold-weather garments.

Donations will be accepted through October 16, which will allow for the two-week turnaround the order from the manufacturer requires. The coats will then be distributed directly to the selected students in early November, hopefully in time for the arrival of cold weather.

Children will be allowed to choose the color of their coat, and each will have the recipient's name stitched inside too--a touch that lets the kids know the coat was made for them. Teachers will help fill out the order forms and measure students to ensure a good fit, Corcoran said.

"The cost is $32 per coat. However many donations we get, we'll work with that," Corcoran said.

To keep people up to date and provide more information about upcoming fundraising events that will contribute to "Easton Firefighters Coats for Kids", organizers have set up a Facebook page.

To contribute directly to the new coat drive online or learn more about the national "Firefighters Coats for Kids Foundation, visit the IAFF Local 713's web page on "Operation Warm" here.

Easton City Council Committee Discusses Violence Prevention

By Christina Georgiou

While crime in the City of Easton overall was down last year, six homicides combined with national headline news of shootings, especially the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, have local officials hoping to head off future violent incidents before they happen.

The Easton City Council public safety committee meeting Tuesday evening brought together police, local school officials, social agencies and others to discuss ways to make the city a more peaceful and better place for all, starting with resident youth.

Easton Councilman Jeff Warren, who heads the committee, said there are many factors involved in local violent incidents that have occured, including drug abuse, gangs, transplanted social values coming from outside the area, lack of education, mental health issues, to name but a few. He also praised the work the city's local service agencies do as having positive benefits to offset problems that plague some city neighborhoods.

"I think we need to not reevaluate the programs, but some of our strategies for reaching youth," Warren said. "I agree with what the mayor has said--we can't arrest our way out of this problem."

When it comes to school safety, in the wake of the Connecticut shooting deaths, police in Easton, as well as Forks and Palmer townships, are focusing on stopping by the schools more often, at varied times, and patrolling hallways. They're also talking with school staff, especially at the elementary schools, said Easton Area School District security coordinator and school police chief Louis Coxe.

More school safety measures are likely in coming weeks and months too, Coxe said.

"We're considering (more) cameras, entrances and exits, swipe cards," he said. "We don't want to waste any money. (All three local police departments and the school district) are going to put our heads together and do what we think is best to protect our children."

Mayor Sal Panto said he plans to hold a forum on community safety issues sometime in March at EAHS, likely on a Saturday. He added that the discussion is likely to include a wide variety of viewpoints from around the community, in addition to school personnel and law enforcement.

But curbing violent incidents and improving overall public safety in the city is not just about keeping kids safe in school, Warren noted.

"(It's) not only so (students) don't become victims of crimes, but so they don't become perpetrators as well," Warren said.

Easton Weed and Seed Director Laura Accetta, whose agency works with some of the most disadvantaged individuals and families in the city, agreed.

"Problems don't start in the schools. They start at home, and then the schools have to deal with it," she said.

Accetta estimated that of the 4,000 or so inmates at Northampton County Prison, some 2,600 of them take medication for mental illnesses. She added too that a large number of those released on supervised probation are also parents.

Added stresses, such as lack of employment and education, constant financial pressures, lack of food security, and sometimes substance abuse are also factors that lead to difficulties for children that contribute to neighborhood issues.

"This is normal to these children," she said.

Easton Area Community Center Director Anita Mitchell agreed, adding that children that attend the center often don't immediately see alternatives to violence because they haven't been taught otherwise.

"The don't realize that this isn't the world they see on TV," Mitchell said. "It takes so long for talking--to explain we can solve this with words, not our fists."

Panto noted that violence isn't just an urban issue.

"Everyone is having an issue with the culture of violence," he said, noting that recent mass shooting incidents have all happened in more affluent suburbs. "There's a vast amount of violence out there. The kind of violence that happens in the city is different from in the suburbs, but they all have problems."

He added that he thinks the amount of violence on TV and in video games, to some, makes it socially acceptable.

Easton Area Middle School Principal Charlene Symia said that positive reinforcement for children is something she's found to be more effective than negative punishments.

"We have some disconnected children that are facing things no one should face," she said.

The school district is working on "the Medici Group", a parent-suggested program that will help connect those kids with community leaders and other role models so they can share stories and positive messages of encouragement to succeed.

"We're going to work with these children to give them that message of hope," she said. "We teach, we model, and we reinforce positive behavior. We're expanding on it now."

Mitchell agreed a multi-faceted approach is needed to improve the current situation.

"I think it's really important that the agencies and the school districts start working closely together," she said. "Some kids feel they really don't have anybody."

Accetta agreed.

"The teachers have a hard enough time just teaching their classes. We can't expect them to be social workers too," she said. "But if there was someone to send them to..."

Those present seemed to agree that people working through their various agencies working together would provide the best outcome, though nothing was formally decided Tuesday evening. All said the meeting was a precursor to the larger community forum planned for March.

For his part, Panto also said the city plans to buy some houses to sell to working families to help them build equity.

"Many neighborhoods don't have role models," he said. "If we can bring in working families that can be role models...It takes more than parks and sidewalks. It takes houses."

Warren noted that while solutions won't be easily found to problems the community faces, talking about the issues is a good start.

"Even though we're just discussing, from discussions come solutions," he said.

Updated on Thursday, January 24 at 11:31 a.m. to correct the last name of EACC Director Anita Mitchell.

School District Seeks Public Input in Search for New Superintendent

The Easton Area School District is seeking approximately 8 to 10 community members to serve on a finalist screening committee for its Superintendent of Schools search in the spring of 2013.

Those wishing to be considered for membership on the screening committee should send a letter of interest with their name, address, occupation, email, telephone number, and a statement indicating why they wish to participate in the process.

The deadline for filing a letter of interest is January 4, 2013.

Letters of interest may be forwarded by email to this address, or sent via regular mail to:

"Easton Search" 
John Freund Esq.
King, Spry, Herman, Freund, and Faul, LLC
1 West Broad Street
Bethlehem, PA 18018

The EASD is also conducting an online survey to determine the characteristics in a new superintendent and which issues the district faces that matter most to the community. The information gathered will be analyzed to help the school board select a new superintendent, according to a statement posted at the beginning of the survey. Public input is confidential and anonymous.

To participate in the survey, click here. (Participants must live in a community served by the Easton Area School District.)

The new superintendent will replace Susan McGinley, whose contract was not renewed by the school board earlier this year.

"Eating Real in Easton" Aims to Promote Healthy Eating

Today is "Food Day Lehigh Valley" and Easton will host one of the 17 events planned to celebrate the day and promote healthy eating habits.

Hosted by the Bethlehem-based Kellyn Foundation, a number of activities and events are scheduled to take place at Centennial Park, South 12th and Ferry streets, and at the Easton Area Community Center, 901 Washington St., including:

• at 1 p.m., a general cleanup of the outdoor gardens at Centennial Park, home of Easton's Weed and Seed program.
• at 3:30 p.m., Easton Middle School students will put new soil and mulch donated by Scott's Miracle-Gro in the gardens to prepare them for next spring's vegetable plantings of "Real Food".
• at 5 p.m., at the Easton Area Community Center, the Kellyn Foundation will show how to prepare the food that will be served later and will highlight the benefits of "Real Food". There will also be special guests and English/Spanish recipes to take home
• 5:30 p.m., dinner, with local apples donated by Bechtold's Orchards.
• 6 to 7 p.m., educational table displays will promote knowledge and involvement

The Kellyn Foundation has presented a "Farm to School" program to all third grade classes in the Easton Area School District in the past few years, and promotes the benefits of choosing fresh, locally grown foods as a core part of its mission.

According to the Food Day national website, Food Day is a nationwide celebration and a movement for healthy, affordable, and sustainable food, and the organization aims to promote safer and healthier diets, support sustainable and organic farms, reduce hunger, reform factory farms, and .support fair working conditions for food and farm workers.

For more about "Eating Real in Easton", click here. To see other Food Day Lehigh Valley events, click here.

To read more about the Kellyn Foundation, visit their website at www.kellyn.org